


The Special Mission

by PanicFOB



Series: The Harder They Fall [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:20:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21943519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PanicFOB/pseuds/PanicFOB
Summary: Each year, a plan is put in place for Steve and his wife to get the Christmas presents under the tree without their children noticing. This takes place after my The Harder They Fall series, so please read that first.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Reader
Series: The Harder They Fall [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1507085
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	The Special Mission

“ _Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”_ the children said in unison with Steve as he read the old book. They nearly knew it by heart, for either Steve or Y/N read it to them every year.

“All right you two, off to bed or Santa might leave nothing but coal in your stockings.”

“But Daaaad,” Ben whined. “I wanted to see Mom on Christmas Eve this year. Can’t I stay up until she gets here?”

Steve pulled his son into his lap and placed a comforting kiss on his head. “She won’t be back to the tower until super late, buddy. Plus, Santa won’t come if you’re still awake, so you better get some rest.”

Charlie stood from her spot on the couch. “Come on, Ben,” she told her little brother. “Mom will be here in the morning like she promised. She never breaks her promises.”

Steve smiled as they headed off to their rooms. The layout of this floor of the tower had changed quite a bit over the years. Now, it resembled an open-layout home, the bedrooms and studio branching off from the spacious living room and kitchen rather than tight corridors as it used to be. It was their own little world of simple family life, a place for Y/N to escape when she was off duty, but still in the tower should she be needed for an emergency mission.

Once they disappeared behind their doors, Steve pulled out his cellphone and sent a text to his wife saying, “Step one: complete.”

He knew she wasn’t actually away from the tower but instead in the briefing room alongside Bucky, Peter, and Sam, waiting for Steve’s cue that the children had gone to bed. See, every year was a sort of battle with the children. They always snuck out of their rooms and watched for Santa to arrive so that they could catch him in the act of placing their presents. And every year, the adults had to figure out how to get the presents from ‘Santa’ under the tree without being spotted by the children. It took a lot of planning, but they usually managed to have the packages placed right under the kids’ noses with them scratching their heads and trying to figure out how Santa got them there.

Steve turned off all the living room lights, except for the ones twinkling on the Christmas tree, and headed for the elevator to join the others. He knew that as soon as Charlie and Ben heard the elevator doors closing, they’d be creeping back to the living room to hide behind the couch.

When he arrived at the briefing room, Y/N greeted him with a kiss. “Did they have any idea that we’re on to them?” she asked.

“Not a clue,” he confirmed with a grin.

“Everything’s set to go,” Bucky announced. Peter grabbed the large bag full of presents and everyone set out to their respective tasks.

It was simple, really. Bucky would climb halfway down the fireplace to their living room, making some purposeful noises to catch the attention of the children. While they were looking away from the kitchen, Steve and Y/N would sneak in through a vent and eat and drink some of the cookies and milk on the kitchen island. After they’d climbed back into the ceiling and Bucky had disappeared from the fireplace, Sam would fly around outside the tower windows shouting, “Ho, ho, ho” and ringing a sleigh bell, but remaining just out of sight to keep the kids from catching on. They would run to the windows, searching the night sky for Santa Claus, and then Peter would lower himself from the ceiling which he clung to, and place the presents carefully under the tree.

And they did it. All like clockwork, leaving Ben and Charlie to stare at the wrapped packages in awe, trying to wrap their heads around the sheer magic that Santa must have possessed. Steve and Y/N giggled like mischievous fools in the elevator ride back to their apartment floor later that night. It was these moments, spent planning ridiculous ways to outsmart their genius children that Steve loved the most about being a parent with her. She never let the fun disappear from their ordinary family life, and Steve tried his best to do the same.

They made a short stop at the outside of Ben’s door and heard the tell-tale whispering of two siblings discussing the mystery of Saint Nick. Then, they headed off to their own bedroom, the feeling of victory in their chests. When Y/N pulled on a sexy, candy-cane colored nightie, Steve couldn’t resist taking it right back off and giving her a show of his own Christmas spirit.

##  *******

The next morning, their bedroom door was busted open by two antsy children demanding that the present unwrapping commence. Steve told them to wait patiently on the couch until he’d at least had some coffee. Y/N climbed out of bed and pulled on a fluffy robe and red slippers as Steve slipped into some pajama pants covered in cartoon Captain Americas wearing Santa hats. He turned the coffee maker on to brew, and as he stood against the kitchen counter, he heard his children whispering once again.

“I’m telling you, Ben, Santa must be the smartest person in the whole world,” Charlie insisted.

“Smarter than Mom _and_ Dad?”

Charlie nodded her head. “He must be if he can get past us every year without being spotted.”

“Smarter than Uncle Peter?” Ben asked this time and Steve felt a little insulted that his son thought Spider-Man was smarter than him.

“Yup. Even smarter than Uncle Peter. Maybe next year we’ll both be old enough to outsmart him.”

“Yeah, maybe next year.”

Steve and Y/N poured their mugs of caffeinated beverage and joined their kids in the living room, watching happily as they shredded through the decorative wrapping paper. He knew one thing for certain: next year, they’d have to up their game or these kids would surely catch on.


End file.
